


This Is Probably Fine

by Tht0neGal666



Series: Timothy Drake-Luthor [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Deathstroke the Terminator (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: BAMF Paula Crock, Forgetfulness, Found Families, Gen, I make the damn rules, Lactose Intolerant Artemis Crock, Paula Crock will kill you with knitting needles, Photographer Tim, Protective Siblings, Secrets, Tim Drake Didn't plant trackers on anyone thank you very much, Tooth Rotting Fluff, Vigilantism, accidental attempted parricide, at the end, bit of, but low key, chaotic good artemis crock, co-dependancy, coming clean, damage control accidently causes a little more damage whoops, for a change, guess who's back bitches, he's a bit preoccupied, hero-worship Tim, lawful evil tim drake, less lowkey but only given the company of his sisters, lets be honest thats what it is, missing the obvious, no one thinks Slade should have kids, old disney shows, rawr, tim drake is raised by Lex Luthor, tim has no intent of resolving the conflict he initiated, true neutral rose wilson, what happened to capes why does no one where them anymore, ya know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-07-03 16:17:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15822492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tht0neGal666/pseuds/Tht0neGal666
Summary: This is Rose's fucking life. dreaming of killing her stand-in-brother while her best-friend-maybe-girlfriend's half paralyzed mom was considering skewering her with knitting needles, because the ex-criminal thought that her crazy asshole of an (ex?)husband had sent her, and her hyper-focused brother decided to bail.Or, the one where Artemis gets distracted and forgets the day, Rose almost kills Arty's newly un-incarcerated mom, and Tim gets a pet MONQI.





	1. 'Would you really hit a woman with a wheelchair?' 'For my sister, I'd hit you *with* a wheelchair'

**Author's Note:**

> Things You Should Know:
> 
> -this takes place Aug. 3rd, 2010. It's the day that Artemis saves KF's life from Amazo.  
> -Pulled most of the Monqi battle scene from the YJ comic (the one thats a spinoff of the show)  
> -this also means that it takes place four days after Paula comes home, Laurence leaves, and Artemis starts Vigilante-work on the streets  
> -no one expects Artemis to actually be a part of YJ at the moment. Artemis fantasizes about it a bit, but shakes the thought off as unrealistic  
> -Janet Drake is still scary to anyone that meets her  
> -Rose is the daughter of Slade Wilson (DeathStroke)  
> -Tim was raised primarily by Lex Luthor growing up  
> -Tim is 11; Rose and Arty are 16.

“Who the hell is she?” Rose asked, and it was a valid question.

There was a woman in a wheelchair in the middle of Arty’s Kitchen. Artemis wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Tim was instantly on guard, hand going for the collapsible bo staff in his belt bag as they observed the mystery woman in the kitchen.

Sportsmaster himself wasn’t in sight, and Tim had double-triple-quadrupile checked that the man was out of the house tonight. Oddly enough, it seemed that Laurence would be away from home indefinately. (Tim was going to ask Artemis about that.) so, if Laurence wasn’t here, then none of his associotes should be either.

Artemis obviously hadn’t invited the woman. Artemis knew that Rose and Tim were planning to hang out with her, as was usual this time of the month. Thus, she was highly unlikely to invite anyone else over (given that Rose and Tim were themselves), and, even if she had, she would have given them a heads up. Or, at the very least, be here to make sure they don’t jump the gun and kill her guest. Whitch, at the moment, Tim was considering.

There was a stranger in Artemis’s home. A stranger in his sister’s home. A stranger that may pose a danger to himself, Artemis, or Rose. A stranger that could know too much about Artemis and her father. A stranger humming peacefully to herself and watching TV and, if the yarn beside her and needles that emerged from her siloette on occasion were any indication, knitting. A stranger who looked and acted like she belonged. A stranger in a wheelchair.

Rose gritted her teeth besides him, eye darting from him to the woman and back again. She was on the edge of striking the woman with a now withdrawn Katana, but she hesitated, which was very unusual for her. She was staring at him expectantly, clearly waiting for the Go Ahead, which he appriciated but was also suprised at.

Something was scratching at the back of his mind. Something similar had clearly struck Rose, thus her hesitation. Somthing had driven Laurence from his home and daughter indefinately. Something had brought the strange woman to his sister’s house.

What was he missing?

He creeped closer to the woman, carefully staying out of sight, crouching at an angle that he could see part of her face, illumated by the television. 

She had long black hair, that looked like it hadn't been professionally cut in years, but oddly still seemed fairly well kept, or as well kept as it could be given the condotion. She had eyes that looked familiar, and now that he mentioned it, there was something familiar about her entire facial structure. He should really be able to place the woman. Her face was thinner then was strictly healthy, but she didn't seem malnorished to a harmful extent. she was doing little more then fidget with the yarn, seeming lost in thought, but her legs and feet remained still. seeing that she didn't have a cast, her wheelchair was either a misdirection, or she was disabled to some extent. Parapalegic some corner of his mind piped up, but went frustratingly silent when he sifted through his mind for why he was so certain of the fact and, more importantly, who she was. 

he looked at her and tool one long blink, then a sharp intake of breath that he refused to classify as a gasp. he was too dignified to gasp, thank you very much. it wasn't even much of a shock. in fact, the conclussion had taken far too long to reach, given how obvious the answer was. He really ought to do better then this, the deduction had taken nearly seven minutes, according to his wrist watch. 

He had better things to do then beat himself up for his own stupidity right then, however, as his gasp had snapped the woman out of her trance. she pulled a knife from some compartment in her wheelchair that must have been obscured in the low lighting, and threw it at him with a slight tremble. He dodged without even having to think about it, noticing that the aim of the dagger was off. She was clearly out of practice.

A quick glance to her was all he was able to give himself to make sure that she wasn't reaching for another blade, before he turned to the inniment issue; The woman's attack on him has surely set Rose off. 

He had perfect timing (obviously), facing her just as she jumped at the wheel-chair bound woman. He gave an internal sigh as he tackled the other teen mid-roar. She was clearly confused by the attack, and he was touched that betrayal didn't even flash through her eye, jumping straight to a silent demand of an explanation. He sighed, glancing at the wide eyed woman watching, then back to Rose, then to her sword, and finally giving a small frown and shaking his head. She gritted her teeth, but her grip on the sword lossened ever so lightly and she gave a jerky nod. he gave a quick glare of warning, before rolling off of her, thankful she didn't go a more forceful route. He really wasn't in the mood to get his ass kicked right now. 

"Who are you? What are you doing in my home?" The woman's voice rang (in a vietnemese accent that only damned him further) out before Tim had even turned to face her, purpouslfully placing himself between Rose and the woman. Rose noticed this (because for someone with one eye, she was deceptively perceptive) and he heard the quiet squeaking of leather that warned him that she balled her fists. She needed answers. He shot a glance at the scared-angry-wary-desprate woman, trembling slightly and adjusting her grip on the knitting needles he had suspected she had in clear preperation to wield them as weapons. she also needed answers.

The two women were glaring daggers at each other, Rose pissed that the woman had attacked her brother and the woman holding very little appriciation for their unwelcomed prescene. Tim, being a small child raised at the side of giant prescences, was intimently familiar with being ignored. Luckily, he was just as familiar with getting the attention he needs, on the occasion that he needs to. Thus, he had perfected clearing his throat in a manner that was no louder then it needed to be, and dignified in a way that clearing one's throat rarely is. he has to conciously fight the urge to reach up and adjust his tie, as he wasn't currently wearing one and the gesture would just look odd.

The glares were turned full forced to Tim. He kept from biting his lip by deflecting the glares with a salesman worthy grin, looking just a bit short of a smirk on his impish face. The boy took a deep breath in, steadying himself for this, taking a moment to mourn himself as he acknowledged how dead he was once Artemis was caught up on the situation, then turned his eyes to Rose. 

"Ravenger, this is Mrs. Paula Crock, The Huntress." Tim clarified, giving an unnecassarily defeated wave at the woman, clenching his other hand so it didn't drag istelf down his face. Rose gave a low growl at the reveal, though that particular growl, Tim knew, meant she was angry with herself. 

"No! I am not that person anymore." Paula denied vehemently, glare somehow intensifying further as she glowered at Tim. The boy only smiled back at her, grin turning a bit guilty at her outburst. It was obviously a sore subject. 

"Yes ma'am. My apologies. Ravenger, this is Mrs. Paula Crock, who used to be The Huntress." He amended a little cheekily. He has never been a fan of getting yelled at.

Paula, apparently, noticed the slightly hostile tone to his voice. Coupled with Rose's growl at her reveal, she could be forgiven for taking it as a threat. The ex-villian's eyebrows knitted together as she placed the name that she undoubtably knew, by reputation if nothing else. 

"Ravenger? As in Deathstroke's girl?" The woman inquired in a tone unique only to those who knew Slade personally. The tone that clearly had a 'why does that man have children' right beneath it. The tone he knew from his mother before he could even put a name to 'Slade's Spawn'. Rose nodded at the question, breath getting nearly imperceptively quicker at the mention of her father. Tim was impressed.

Paula thought on the matter for another moment, before a dark realization flashed through her eyes and she jumped to what was surely an unpleasent and inaccurate conclusion, if Tim had to guess.

"Did Lawernce send you?" The woman asked bluntly, and Tim called it. Her voice was chock full of a very familiar venom that made them both nearly flinch, eyes hardening in offence at such a thing being so much as suggested. 

"No. He did not." Rose gritted out, leather sqeaking again, and Tim sighed. He didn't want to be here, mediating a conversation that should have ended before it began. They needed to figure out where Artemis ran off to. 

"Mrs. Crock, where is Artemis?" Tim asked frostily, which was a bit aggressive for him. To be fair, one of his sisters was missing. 

"What do you want with my daughter?" The woman demanded, which wasn't an answer, but her eyes flew to the stairs on instinct, which was. She thought that Artemis was still home, that she was upstairs in her room. That meant that she was useless to Tim's one-tracked-mind, that had long moved past the confrontation with Paula. His mind was already out the door tracking down Artemis, scolding himself for not bothering to check the window for signs someone had used it to leave. the pair of them coming in via the same window had probably rendered whatever clues up there moot anyway, he comforted himself, and by then his feet had started to make their way to the door without so much as another glance at Paula, some part of his brain assuming that Rose would just follow him when she was done, and making sure his departure was easy to see and track for his sister.

He was right, even if it took a minute. He slipped out of the door loudly enough to be heard if one was listening (which Rose always was). He looped around the building, looking for Artemis's window, identical to eye to the dozens of others on the apartment building to anyone not familiar with. It didn't have so much as a plant in the window, but if you looked closely there were nicks in the windowsill. This was not unique to the Crock apartment, most apartments in Gotham had some sort of damage. It was more like a finger print. 

He fished night-vision enhanced binoculars from his belt bag, zooming in on approximately where Artemis's apartment is. He had gotten much better at spotting it out as he went to her home more and more, and by now was able to pick it out specifically among the others. There, the one two below the pink curtains, three to the left of the one with the probably illegal poppy plant. The one with the 11 arrow nicks on the window sill, paint of the frame a little molted where Tim had accidentally spilled acid once, a cut going through the left corner and an inch deep, a bullet dent or three, the distinct glint of reinforced bulletproof glass. 

Tim smiled, planting himself right below the window. He put his binoculars back into the pouch, and giving himself the liberty of biting his cheeks in and thinking it all through. Where had Artemis gone? It was the third, but they were here a bit early, a few hours earlier then Tim was usually able to finish whatever busy body work Alexander gave him. Perhaps she was only out for a moment? But her mother clearly thought she was in her room. What could she be doing that she kept from her mother? His best guess was working with her father, but that made no sense. She hated the man, and he was pretty sure she'd take the first chance she could get to leave the family business. It was a worrying thought sometimes. 

He heaved a sigh and pinched his nose, a bit more liberal with his movements now that he wasn't likely to be watched, and retrieved a LexCorp tablet from his belt bag. Artemis was going to kill him anyway, what's the harm in giving her a bit more incentive?


	2. 'since when is it not okay to keep track of your friends?'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Drake, what the fuck." She responded, glare reverting to the intensity of the one she leveled at Paula earlier, because seriously, what the fuck.

Rose balled her fists even tighter as she heard Timothy Fucking Drake slip through the front door, closing it behind him with a distinctive 'click'. He had apparently slipped into 'Drake Focus' (as Rose had so eloqently dubbed it) at some point, and stopped paying attention to Paula and Rose the moment The Ex-Huntress's eyes revealed what she refused to verbalize. 

Thus, he had left her alone, to deal with the fallout of a frantic mother. Rose would have his head for this, because she already felt horrible for doing this to Artemis's mom. Arty always spoke...somewhat fondly of the woman, makind her the second most respected parent amoung all six of theirs. Given how firmly she stated that she had improved, Rose could see why Artemis still cared for the woman. Hurting or messing with anything the archer cared about wasn't something she had any interest in doing, if it could be avoided. 

Now she got the pleasure of lying through her goddamn teeth (because, like it or not, there was no fucking way she could tell the truth. not without asking Arty first. not with so little time. not with Arty's mom staring at her like she was a monster) to her best friend's very-recently-ex-convict of a mother. Fucking Joy. 

"What do you want with my daughter?" The agitated woman repeated, and Rose was not fond of the way her grip on the knitting needles in her grasp re-adjusted again, holding them like goddamn throwing knives. This is Rose's fucking life. dreaming of killing her stand-in-brother while her best-friend-maybe-girlfriend's half paralyzed mom was considering skewering her with knitting needles, because the ex-criminal thought that her crazy asshole of an (ex?)husband had sent her, and her hyper-focused brother decided to bail. 

"umm.." She started eloquently, because she was just great at lying, obviously. Why did Drake always disappear right when she needs him? She'd like to file a formal complaint with (read; flip off) Luthor, because who else would Tim get it from? "We're her...friends." Rose stated, going with a lame half truth, because they were so much closer then friends, but it was a weird bond that she'd never had to or wanted to think hard enough to explain before. The three of them just clicked. It had barely been a damn year since they met, and the thought alone was bewildering.

"Friends?" Paula asked flatly, not even trying to hide her skepticism at the claim. Rose shrugged, because she didn't care to think of a more articulated way to respond, forcing her posture to relax as much as she could. She put her hands on her hips, above her utility-belt, and felt oddly like a civilian teenager standing off against an annoying adult. Like the mantra of 'you don't know my life' was seconds from spilling from her lips, as it had countless times in the stupid movies Tim (and sometimes Arty) picked out for them to watch. The thought made her smirk a little, which probably didn't help her case, considering Paula still thought she was here to kill Arty or something.

"Yeah, friends. That's about all I'm gonna say about it." Rose waved, playing non-nonchalant. this entire conversation was weird for her. she wasn't sure exactly how to talk to adults, as her only practice with adults were assholes, people she had to listen to, or mixes of the two. The concern-suspicion-desperation-tiredness-determination-care of Mrs.Crock was new territory, and Rose was very uncomfortable with it.

Paula stared at her, and looked like she had something else to say, but Rose decided to end the conversation here. She tried talking to Paula, which is more then Timmy can say, so she counts it as a win. besides, she was really starting to get worried about Arty, and standing here was doing absolutely nothing to lessen her concern. 

With an almost-unnoticeable grimace and an apologetic smile and an awkward wave, she threw down a smoke grenade (which, yes, was probably a little extra, but she was panicking ok? besides, it was non-toxic, the gas wouldn't hurt worse then soap in the eyes, so it's fine) and followed Tim's subtle clues to where he stood, beneath what was probably Artemis's window. another glance at the column of windows above Tim supported her guess.

He was gaping at her in what seemed to be a mix of awe and amusement, probably on the border of giggling like a little girl, somehow snapped out of his inhumane drake-focus. Probably because there's no way he didn't smell the distinctive smoke-bomb-smoke (a little more gunpowdery and plastically then normal smoke) from her person. He looked to her belt, probably picking out the lack of one of her smoke bombs for confirmation, then past her and to the kitchen window. She followed his eyes, and was a bit embarrassed that she apparently forgot to close in her rush to escape the conversation. 

A smirk flicked across his features, before he gave a long blink and slipped back into Drake-focus, darting to hide behind a in another alleyway, because that was going to draw attention. He didn't even look back at her, and she would be offended, but she had come to learn that it was some weird Tim way of expressing trust. He trusted her to run behind him without attacking him, and trusted her to keep track of and follow him. The real insult would be if he insisted on following her.

She glared at him the whole time, trying to display her extreme displeasure with the situation and his abandonment in particular, but they sadly held no effect, because the asshole refused to even look at her. He was focused on a tablet that he was tapping away at, even while running, because he was an arrogant prick. She tried to get his attention by tripping him or slapping at him, but the preteen dodged every blow on instinct, so she'd probably have to actually try to get his attention. Figures.

They reached their destination, crouching behind a dumpster. there was an alley-cat relaxing on top of the dumpster, peering down with eyes that seemed to glow, before seeming to decide they were fine and lazily flopping on its side. Tim took a moment to toss a treat at the kitten that he pulled from somewhere (if she had to guess, an inside pocket of his jacket. he tended to keep snacks there.), because in Gotham, every advantage you can get is a good one, and animals liking you definitely counted, not even looking away from his hand-held. He wasn't biting his lip because he had more dignity then that, but he was close to it, if she was getting any good at reading him (and she was, of course she was, probably. he was one of the very few people she couldn't automatically read, though, so who really knew). 

She was only getting more and more frustrated with his withdrawal from most of reality, leaning over to get his attention, before she saw the screen he had pulled up, and all she could do is heave a sigh, because-

"Is that a tracker program?" She nearly groaned, already very fucking done with Timothy Goddamn Drake and his endless shit.

his only respond was an absent hum in confirmation, as if he didn't think he did anything wrong, and she'd believe it if he wasn't suddenly oh-so-slightly biting his lip.

"Drake, what the fuck." She responded (rather mildly given the situation, if she did say so herself), glare reverting to the intensity of the one she leveled at Paula (Artemis's *mom*, god) earlier, because seriously, what the fuck. how'd he even get a tracker on Arty's stuff? He'd never been left alone with it, that Rose could remember. She shook the question from her head. The how really didn't matter, and could probably be answered with a 'fucking drake', quite honestly, just like a worrying amount of things she chose not to look to far into. The How was far less important then the How Dare.

"Hm..What?" Drake finally spoke, blinking owlishly up at her as a green blip appeared on the screen that she could only assume was Artemis. She gracefully gave him a second to snap back into reality, because it was neither fair nor worth the effort to yell at someone who wasn't really there. She tapped her fingers impatiently, and ran her tounge along the back of her teeth as he settled back in himself. "Oh." He finally said, looking a bit confused at her surprise but accepting of her wrath, entire posture screaming something like 'what did you expect?' or 'yeah that's fair'. 

"You can't..you can't just do that Drake." She sneered, and he did a weird flinch-straighten thing at the rare use of his last name. That move was suprisingly easy to read; He noticed that she was upset, but was too proud of his last name to take it being used as an insult without a bit of defiance.

"Can't do what?" He asked, frowning down at the tracker. "What the heck could she be doing at Gotham Academy?" He muttered, eyebrows furrowing as he started walking and, well, that's fair. If Rose remembered right, Gotham Academy for for the richy-rich kids. and she's 90% sure school wasn't in right now anyways. So, they continued their conversation on the move. Fuck, why not. She could multitask.

"You can't just plant trackers on us!" She clarafied, quickly losing her patience with the boy. She knew that he knew what she meant, that he was just trying to throw her off topic or annoy her out of talking to him, which she really should be used to by now. 

"Hey hey hey, I didn't just 'plant a tracker' on her!" He defended, putting the device away. apparently, he knew where he was going now, as he kept walking, hands now free to gesture indigently with. "She asked for Tracker Arrows last time she had me order some from LexCorp. Ya know, cause she's been trying to be more independant of Laurence? I just got what she asked for." He justified, giving a winning smile like there was no more argument to be had, except it wavered for the barest moment, so her eyes sharpened to call his bluff, and he gave a reluctant sigh. 

"And I had them made able to be remotely-activated, for the people with the activation codes. and then I hacked into them and changed the activation codes, in case the arrow-smith was an asshole and tried to activate them for some reason. and then changed the code every week, just in case." He admitted, turning another corner. "She started it though! Really, she should have known what she was getting into when she asked me for trackers. How could I pass it up?" He asked, and there it was. the confusion. Not sure why what he was doing was wrong, because Lex was a shark and (from what she heard between the lines of praise Tim spewed and the curses her father spat) Janet was a snake, and Tim really couldn't know any better. Tim's been raised on 'you didn't say not to' and 'you never asked', and anything he could talk his way out of or into he was given with a proud smirk. 

"Timmy, that isn't okay." She sighed, deciding the only fitting punishment at this point was to ruffle his always-perfect hair, satisfied at his quiet squawk and scramble to card through his hair until it was fixed. It's the little things, in their life. "It's an invasion of privacy." and there's a phrase he's probably never heard in his damn life.

"But If I hadn't done it, we wouldn't be able to find Artemis. It's not like I'd use it unless I absolutely have to." He stated, like he'd said it to himself a thousand times, Then he turned to face her, confidently walking backwards.hands resting casually behind his head, eyes a challenge and smirk a blade. "Besides, what are you gonna do about it?" he all but sneered, walls building themselves up because he was as stubborn as the rest of them and unwilling to just change something so ingrained in him. 

She'd like to respond to that, really, she had a hundred things to say, and at least an eighth of them were reasonable and productive answers that would move the conversation along without resorting to an insult-off that would just leave them both feeling terrible, so much better then usual. However, before she could respond, his face closed back off and he spun back around as they turned a final corner, and they were stood right in front Gotham Academy, somehow. 

They both froze a moment, because there was a broken window right in front of them, and sounds of fighting echoed from inside what looked to be the gym, and that couldn't be good.


	3. 'You could call this...MONQI Buisness'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Artemis had interfered with the mini-capes, and she was in clear view of at least two cameras, she was potentially fucked. At the very least, the Capes would know what she did. So, distantly, Rose knew she couldn't interfere with the battle, without some repercussions. Frankly, however, she didn't give much of a damn. She'd stay out of it if she could, but she'd interfere if Artemis started losing or got hurt, and flip everyone who tried to scold her for it off, and that'd be that.

Before Rose could even think to decide what the best course of action was (because her mind was set on a loop of worry about arty and anger for anyone that might be hurting her), Tim had scampered up a tree that was pretty far away from the school, but not in sight of the security cameras yet. by the time the camera's turned back to it, Tim was concealed in the branches and Rose had jumped behind the tree. 

She waited for some signal from Tim to tell her he was looping the footage of the single camera they were in sight of, which came far to long after for her liking, as she heard what sounded like monkey's screeching in another tree. Finally, Tim gave a low bird-like coo, and she made her way up the branches. Tim pulled her a bit to the left of where she balanced on a branch, then nodded, staying standing up beside her. He silently pulled pink binoculars from his fanny pack (that's what it was, and it was time he admitted it, the dork) and handed them to her, utilizing some blood red ones to look through the shattered window. He gritted his teeth and sat besides her. 

"Gotham Academy is a bit hard to hack, sorry. Looks like it runs on Wayne Tech." He commented with an oddly soft smile she couldn't decipher, before giving a small shake of his head and getting to the more important things. "It looks like a bunch of tiny-capes in there, fighting what looks like Amazo. Ivo's watching, so If I were a betting man, he built the damn thing." He reported dutifully, and she kind of hated that, but it wasn't the time, so she waved for him to move on. She was relevied that Arty wasn't in there, but the releif was covered by concern because if she wasn't in there, then where was she? "I..haven't seen artemis, but she could be in the tree with all the monkeys. I can't see clearly enough to tell." Tim breathed bitterly, gesturing to a tree right next to the Gotham Academy gym. 

And, with near perfect timing, because some greater force out there either loves or hates them (it seems to vary from moment to moment), the sound of a jetpack was audiable from their vantage point, and they turned to look at a bright flash of light that came with take off. A familiar cry rang out, and they saw Artemis in the arms of the damn flying-monkey-thing. before they could do anything about it, she stabbed it through the head. Tim beamed a proud smile and Rose pumped her fist. Luckily, she didn't fall far, grabbing onto a branch with the hand that wasn't holding an arrow piercing through the weird green monkey. 

She crawled up onto the branch she was dangleing from, seeming weirdly frantic, as she shot an arrow through the glass. Tim tensed beside her and Rose grit her teeth a bit, because what did Artemis just do? Was she firing on the capes, or the robot, or maybe even Ivo? Shooting a cape, especially a mini-cape, was wildly out of character for her. she tended to do the bare minimum of damage when she absolutely had to. Rose was pretty sure she could count on her fingers how many people Artemis had killed, and none of them were capes. Capes were too important, drew too much attention. If you killed a cape, you needed to have a plan afterwards. Artemis hadn't even fought capes yet, mostly just being her father's right hand man and staying as far under the radar as possible. 

Artemis wouldn't just silently assassinate a cape. Not without telling them first, especially if it was their designated hang out. maybe thats why she didn't tell them? She was super guilty about killing a mini-cape? Or didn't want them to talk her out of or around it, for some reason? or she didn't want to admit she was working with slimy-old-Ivo? Maybe didn't want to tell Tim, because he'd be all over the chance to talk with the engineering genius, and she had decided Tim had enough bad influences in his life. 

But wait, if she was working with Ivo, why were his weird monkeys fighting her?

Tim, once again, swallowed any emotion he felt and whipped his binoculars back to his face like a quick draw in an old western, following the flight of the arrow. they both held their breath, Rose not wanting to look Just In Case. Timmy gave a small sigh of relief, and Rose looked at him for answers, a bit relaxed by his relaxation.

"She shot at the Amazo-like android. I really wanna know if it's the real deal, or just a crappy rip off." He contemplated, curiosity gleaming in his eyes, and Rose officially decided that he was never allowed within 20 feet of the mad scientist. It just sounded like a bad idea. 

Tim seemed to move on from the brief bout of curiosity as he frowned and looked back at artemis, who was using one monkey to swing around and fight the other monkeys, cause Their Artemis is a Badass.

Tim got a smirk that made Rose a bit suspicious, but she was preoccupied watching Artemis and making sure nothing went drastically wrong. Now that Artemis had interfered with the mini-capes, and she was in clear view of at least two cameras, she was potentially fucked. At the very least, the Capes would know what she did. So, distantly, Rose knew she couldn't interfere with the battle, without some repercussions. Frankly, however, she didn't give much of a damn. She'd stay out of it if she could, but she'd interfere if Artemis started losing or got hurt, and flip everyone who tried to scold her for it off, and that'd be that. 

Tim gave a cheeky smirk that couldn't be good, and one of the few robot-monkey's left scampered down to the base of the tree without Artemis noticing. To be fair, she was a little preoccupied. Fighting all the other damn monkeys. 

There was an explosion from inside the school that gained Timmy's attention, and earned a very innocently satisfied smile with it. Rose couldn't help but smile at the childish expression, because her little brother didn't get to be a child very often. His hand twitched up towards his neck that she pretended not to notice. She knew that he held some sort of respect for capes that no one but she, artemis, and maybe Janet knew about. She knew that it was some ironic hero-worship that he kept expecting to grow out of but never did. She knew how much of an internal struggle it is for Timmy, having to balance between his admiration and his livelihood. She knew that he was pretty goddamn good at it, anyway.

(she knew he carried a digital disposable camera with him everywhere, would lose every piece of tech he has before he willingly lost it, Knew that there was something a little off about the camera itself, knew that he didn't think anyone knew about it.)

She couldn't help being a little proud that he didn't stop smiling when he turned to face her. That he trusted her enough to not mind if she knew he was happy that, technically, the people they were supposed to root for lost. She earned that trust, and that was a feat in itself.

His innocent smile floated on his face for a little bit, before the usual edges to it carved themselves back into his expression, and a vengeful smirk sat on his face by the time he was across the street, sitting on a fire escape, absently letting the camera's run again as he stared at Arty. 

The girl had barely moved since the end of the fight. None of the green monkey's were left to fight, and she was relaxing in a tree with a bit of a dreamy expression. Honestly, Rose wasn't sure what was going through the blonde's mind, and that scared her a little. 

Eventually, Artemis seemed to deflate, slumping against the tree. whatever she was thinking about, it looked like she just got a solid reality check. Rose dashed from her tree to somewhere closer to Timmy, as he made a frantic gesture that probably meant he was just about done turning on the security cameras outside the school again. Artemis wasn't far behind them, sulking as she slipped out of the tree before the mini-capes left the cafeteria.


	4. 'Not quite Wonderland, so I'll settle for Oz'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her eyes popped in horror, because her mom was home. And Tim and Rose had never met the woman. And Tim is the single most paranoid person she had ever met. And she wasn't home. And it was nearly midnight, so there was no way they weren't looking for her.

Artemis was elated with how the night went. It was almost like a fairy tale, if she was honest with herself. She had wanted to be a cape- a hero, she needed to start calling them heroes - for the past few days, dreamed of the little good she was doing, helping with small time crimes in Gotham. God knows there's no such thing as too many capes- heroes- in Gotham. Crime was the only constant.

But tonight! Tonight took the cake. she had just been looking for some trouble (oddly enough, she had a hard time finding it, a very rare feat in Gotham) to take down, when someone went flying through the air abouve her. She was definitely interested, and it felt sort of like an omen. Her 'White Rabbit', so to speak. She wasn't really doing anyhting anyway, so why not go check it out? 

Best. Decision. Ever.

It turned out that her white rabbit was, in fact, someone who looked an awful lot like picture's she'd seen of superman. well, if the man of steel was a teenager. with worse hair. And an almost emo-vibe with the red symbol on black and the jeans. Wait- was her White Rabbit actually superboy?

And there were others there too! Robin, every Gothamite kids idol, was there (a bit shorter then she imagined, but just as ethereal- Tim compared Robin to a Dark Fae creature once, and maybe it was the shock, but she thought it held true), and her eyes immediately went searching for The Batman. She couldn't get caught by The Batman. It would be bad on all sides. she was fairly sure she wasn't on the radar of The Bats yet (vigilantes pop up as randomly crime lords in Gotham, and usually don't last very long, so it would make sense if The Bat didn't keep track of all of them), and she'd love to keep it that way. 

However, instead of The Batman, it looked like The Boy Wonder was fighting beside other teenagers! No senior heroes in sight, just a bunch of sidekicks. There was Speedy- no, speedy was Green Arrow's sidekick, it was Kid Flash- there too. 

They were her age (or at least looked it), and Fighting against- well. She wasn't quite sure what it was. But it looked overpowered, and, looking to the stands in the gym, there was someone she was certain she'd seen hanging around her father before, so. definitely not a good guy. 

Timmy would be so jealous. 

Shit. Tim. Rose. She knew she was forgetting something. Today was the third. 

She was in so much trouble.

She could deal with that later, though, because she was suddenly surrounded by. By green monkeys? Wait no, they sounded weird..metallic. which made sense, because most monkeys don't come in green, last she checked. so, robot monkeys. Probably a bad sign, and she automatically went reaching for her bow.

She shot a few of the creatures, unwillingly relieved when her hunch was confirmed. It would kinda ruin the wonderlandian mood to kill animals (Then again, the presence of the monkeys made it feel a bit like the land of Oz. Whatever).

When she was given a little room to breathe, she peered through the gym window right next to her tree again, because she couldn't let some evil-robot-monkey's ruin the best moment of her life. She scowled when she saw one of the monkey's sat beside that freak her dad hangs out with from before. figures.

That's about all she could see before she was back to dodging and fighting the monkeys, switching between her bow and mini-crossbow as needed. The monkeys were really annoying, making grabs at her hair and weapons, and a few times she had to shoot one down to retrieve her bow. 

Just as she thought she fought them back enough to take another glimpse through the window, there was a sudden weight on her head. before she could do much but squirm a bit, it had its tail wrapped around her neck and hands over her eyes. She tried to throw the damn thing off, and then there was something that sounded worryingly like a quiet jet engine from on top of her head before, and oh no-

She flew upwards, because of course the damn monkey had a fucking jetpack. Oz Indeed. 

Gritting her teeth and maybe a little terrified and very done with this, she gave up on pushing the monkey off of her the second her feet left the branch. instead, she reached into her quiver, a move that she didn't need any thought for, and pulled out what she was pretty sure was a normal arrow, and stabbed the thing through the wannabe-flying-monkey's head. 

Immediately she was falling, her arms flailing out for a branch to grab hold of. Luckily, her right hand managed to grab onto the same branch she had just flown from. She pulled herself onto the branch, rubbing her eyes and really hoping they didn't bruise where the metal was gripping, because that would be an awkward injury to excuse. As she blinked her eyes back into focus, she looked into the gym again, and saw Kid Flash getting crushed to death by the Probably-A-Robot.

Artemis's body moved into action before she even really thought about it. She was still debating the morals of letting a kid her age die versus the innate responsibility to, at the very least, look the other way when someone gets the chance to kill a cape.

Then she blinked, and her bow had an arrow knocked and aimed roughly at the robot, and she quirked the edges of her mouth up ever so slightly. Taking a deep breathe, she steadied her aim and let her breath go as the arrow shot through the glass window.

And that was it. she watched, a bit entranced, as her arrow (Her Arrow!) save Kid Flash's life. She saved the life of a cape. She was so dead if anyone found out.

Screeching rang out behind her, and she heaved an annoyed sigh, because she just did something Good for what felt like the first time in her life, and she'd like a moment to enjoy it please. Alas, the screeching got louder (the shattering glass of the window probably drew their attention back to her), and the monkey's descended on her again. Fine. She could revel in her accomplishments later.

(She had to admit, though, that she might have used one monkey to fight off a bunch of the other monkeys purely out of spite. It was a pretty sick move though, so no shame.)

Finally, she couldn't see any more monkeys to fight off, and she lowered her bow, panting a little at the excursion. Well, now she's saved a superhero's life while fighting flying-robot-monkeys in a tree, so that was pretty cool.

Fuck. She had just saved a superhero's life. While fighting Flying Robot Monkeys. In a goddamn tree.

She sat back down and watched as the sidekicks wrapped up their fight against the supervillian. She couldn't help a little elated giggle, because it was just so cool! They did it! Three kids her age had fought an android that, from the sound of it, had some weird combination of Justice League powers! 

Two more Heroes came in (why did they call them capes anyway? Out of the five of them, only two of them were wearing capes). Going by the gills and over all water theme of one of them and the green skin and flying of the other, she guessed Aqualad and a martian(?), and how cool was that?

They're a team. 

The fact clicked in her head, and it was so obvious now that she thought of it. They worked together. they watched each other's backs. they seemed to care for each other. They're a team.

It sounded like information that her dad would want to hear, but, ya know, fuck him. These guys were a team and she wanted on.

She really wanted on. Why not? She just saved Kid-Flash's ass, and absolutely wrecked a barrel's worth of monkeys. She looked over them again, and Speedy wasn't down there. They didn't have an archer! Why shouldn't she be on the team?

She beamed at the thought, twirling an arrow through her fingers as she thought about it. Helping them take down assholes like her dad. Being someone that no one but herself was telling her to be. Sticking it to the man. It would be Awesome. 

Reality crashed down on her, and she felt herself sag as the truth of the matter settled in. She couldn't join the team. They'd want to know who she is, and they'd never take her on once they did. She was setting herself up for failure, dreaming like that. Besides, what about Tim and Rose? Would they be allowed to see her if she joined?..Ok, stupid question. That didn't matter. Would they want to see her if she joined? 

She couldn't lose her only real friends (Family) over some stupid kids playing at being capes. It'd drive a wedge between her and Tim and Rose. If nothing else, it would worry her mom half to death. She didn't need that right after she got back.

Her eyes popped in horror, because her mom was home. And Tim and Rose had never met the woman. And Tim is the single most paranoid person she had ever met. And she wasn't home. And it was nearly midnight, so there was no way they weren't looking for her. 

She made her way out of the tree and down the street behind her, determined to make it home before midnight. none of them had ever missed a meetup, and falling down a rabbit hole was no excuse to be the first to do so.

Abruptly, she was tackled by a green monkey that she had apparently missed. she went to reach for an arrow, but was interrupted as the monkey started talking.

Because why the hell not.


	5. 'How better to spite your forgetful sister then to claim the only functioning robot from the group she just demolished?' 'point, have fun Timmy'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I totally AM keeping it." The absolute child claimed boldly, petting it again, and she was sure he was petting the damn thing just to annoy her specifically, "And, I'm naming it George."

"Peek-a-boo!" The creature giggled, grating through a voice-box clearly not designed to handle noises that close to human speech. the sound of it sent shivers up her spine. "Look behind you!" It demanded, jumping up and down a bit and pointing behind her, and she pulled her bow up as she did so, more then ready for trouble, and-

"Surprise!" came another giggle from a fire escape above her, because Timothy Drake is an asshole. He had the biggest damn smirk she'd seen in a bit, and was snickering to himself as he typed something out and the Monkey made its way up to him, perching on his shoulder. "It's called a Mobile Optimal Neural Quotient Infiltrator." He mused, petting the tin can like it had fur. "Awful lot of mental gymnastics to get an almost-passable backronym for 'MONQI', if you ask me. really just a mouthful."

"You...You aren't keeping that thing!" Artemis sputtered, mentally face palming, because she should have a different reaction then that. There were many more acceptable reactions, in fact. such as 'why are you here' or 'how long were you watching' or 'how'd you get a so-called MONQI' or 'how did you know I was here' or 'where the hell is Rose?'

"I totally AM keeping it." The absolute child claimed boldly, petting it again, and she was sure he was petting the damn thing just to annoy her specifically, "And, I'm naming it George."

This was her punishment. Tim was an asshole, and the world hates her, and her punishment for almost missing out on their night was that Tim adopted a Robot...Monqi. God, he was right. that's a stupid ass name.

"We'll see what Rose says about that." She tried to dismiss, folding her arms for effect, because there wasn't anything he could do if she didn't want to keep it around. If she really wanted to get rid of it, there was nothing he could do.

"Seeing how little you like it? And how fucking pissed I am with you right now, 'Mis? He could reverse-engineer the damn thing and start up a Robot-Zoo." Rose drawled, emerging from a shadow to her side and almost giving Artemis a damn heart attack. Tim's eyes lit up at the back-up that wasn't nearly sarcastic enough to deter him from doing just that. This was very bad.

"Besides, I've already got the blueprints! If either of you guys wanna break it, I'll just have Alexander make me another!" Tim chirped from his perch, far too pleased with himself and the situation. Fair enough, she begrudged. Lex was going to be stoked that Tim got his hands on the blue-prints he had probably promised not to steal for some reason or another. Probably stoked enough to not even question where he got the said blue-prints. Plausible deniability and all that. "I've been bugging Alexander to get me a pet for Ages. at least there's not much care that has to be done for this one." Tim said and, damn, he had a point. there was no real Reason for Luthor Not to do it, so he definitely would. Fuck.

"How long have you guys been stalking me?" She demanded, giving up on the Monqi as gracefully as she could, by pivoting to another matter entirely. 

"Oh, we showed up around the time you went flying with the wicked witch of the west's rip off Monqi." Tim informed, emphasis the weird pronunciation of the robot's name and waving a hand innocently. "Don't you worry your pretty head about it, Crock. I looped the footage before we got caught. Left yours alone though. Thought you might want the proof that you saved a mini-cape's ass out there for the world to see." Tim quipped, and he was definitely angry with her if she was back on last-name-basis with the kid. she flinched a bit as he jumped off of the escape and landed to her right. She didn’t even bother to half-playfully chasate his language.

"What the Hell, 'Mis?" Rose spat, a lot more direct with her displeasure. Her hand rested worryingly on her katana. Artemis was...at least 80% sure Rose wouldn't attack her with the thing. Probably. "Why did you just up and disappear on us? We were worried!" And if Rose was admitting to feelings, something all 3 of them tended to avoid, then she was probably in deep-shit with her too.

"I..Didn't mean to." Artemis sighed, not even bothering to defend herself. she did a shitty thing. "I picked up vigilantism right after my Mom got back. Got..lost in the thrill of it. didn't keep track of the days." She admitted, shifting uncomfortably.

"Got lost in the thrill? Couldn't keep track of the days?" Rose scoffed, not impressed with the archer's excuse as she started to tap her foot. "Tim is eleven years old, barely, and he manages to keep track of dates just fine." She pointed out, jabbing a thumb at the child that was tinkering with George and pretending not to listen in on their fight. "I'm a Merc with severe mental issues and a quite-frankly concerning bloodlust, and I don't get lost in the thrill enough to skip out."

"Well, Tim grew up with Luthor. Of course he can keep a damn schedule." She couldn't help pointing out, because that was kind of unfair. besides, "He's had to call you to remind you to meet up because you were, in fact, 'lost in the thrill'." Rose wasn't as innocent as the picture she was painting, and they both knew it. "Just..wanna head back to my place? Don't really wanna talk about it here." She offered, heaving a tired sigh.

Tim still didn't say anything to her, just turned and started walking in the direction of her apartment. She followed him and Rose trailed behind her, and the only sound between them for a while was the annoying chittering of the Monqi.

"So, fair warning," Tim spoke up as they neared her house, "We may have had a bit of a talk with your mom. I'm pretty sure Mrs.Crock could kill a man with knitting needles. almost got to test my theory too." Tim stated absently, as if they were acquaintances discussing the weather. 

"Mind filling me in on how this 'chat' of yours went?" Artemis requested, trying to keep her tone as light as possible. If Tim knew he was getting to her, he'd just find a way to get worse. Passive Aggression was the bread and butter of Drake Anger, Tim once claimed, and she couldn't really argue.

"Well, we were probably going to kill her, but then I recognized Mrs.Crock. May have lost my composure a bit, thus revealing my position and effectively spooking her while she was in the midst of knitting. She proceeded to throw a knife concealed by the poor lighting at me, which missed but spurred dear Rose to attack. I mediated for a bit, and then got bored and left." Tim recapped with a professional drawl that was starting to grind her nerves, "I am unsure what happened next, but it seemed to involve smoke bombs. Then I remotely activated one of your tracker arrows, and we followed the signal." He finished with a light hum.

"You planted trackers on me?" She asked, understandably miffed, but she probalby shouldn't be surprised, if Tim's raised eyebrow was anything to go off of. Rose made a sound of vauge displeasure as well, so at least Artemis wasn't alone in her anger.

"No, You planted trackers on you. I simply delivered. You never specified not to have them be able to be activated remotely." He explained, sounding a bit bored. Like he'd had this conversation, and didn't feel the need to go over it again. Given the quick glance shot at Rose, she'd probably taken issue with it when it happened. If there was one thing Tim hated, it was repeating himself.

"That isn't okay Tim." She sighed lamely, but moved on, ignoring the small annoyed scowl the boy gave. "Any new blood stains I should watch out for at my place?" She asked, turning to Rose, which was an awful nice way to say 'did you stab my mom?', if she did say so herself. Rose shook her head, so there was that at least. better than nothing. 

Just about then they turned the corner and were staring at her apartment building. Artemis sighed and walked to her door, accepting her fate as she retrieved the key from her pocket, walking to her apartment door as Tim and Rose scoured the side of the complex and slipped into her room. She clicked the door open just as she heard the subtle 'thunk' of her window closing.


	6. 'Between the three of us, one of our parents is bound to be,, ya know,, actually a parent.'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her mom was home. Her mom was home after six long years. Her mother was here, with her, and her dad was gone. Her mom loved her, and was here, and wouldn't hurt her, and worried, and stress knitted. In some ways, it was like she never left.

"Artemis!" Her mother's voice rang out immediately, making her cringe as she closed and locked the door behind her. She turned to see her mom, eyes wild and a little red and puffy, and a very long scarf knit that wasn't even started that morning. Given the length, it was the product of stress-knitting. She had a kitchen knife resting in her lap, and that was worrying, because she was usually fine to limit herself to a throwing knife or two for defense. her phone was sitting on the arm of her chair haphazardly, and her hair was frazzled. Her mouth kept flexing between a smile and a frown. all of the lights were turned on, despite the fact that they difinately didn't have the money for the electricity bill.

"Hi mom." She croaked uncertainly, offering a timid smile and rubbing at the exposed stomach of her costume self conciously. This wasn't how she planned to tell her mother of her new nightly activities.

"Artemis, Where have you been?" she started, glancing around like she was sure someone would jump from the shadows and snatch Artemis up. "I've been worried sick! When did you leave your room? There were two strange children here looking for you, you better explain yourself young lady!" her mother demanded, growing less frightened and more angry with every word. "What were you doing out there dressed like That?" She finished, scowling at the costume she usually wore to accompany Sportsmaster.

"It's not what you think!" She assured her mother quickly, grimancing at the thought of willingly helping that asshole out, in any capacity. 

"Then what is it, Artemis? Dressed up like that! Ready to run to the life I never got the chance to run from!" The ex-con's voice shook. "I lost your father to it. I lost Jade to it. Please, explain how I won't lose you too, if you're dressing up and sneaking out behind my back!" She raved, tone scathing hot, but it wasn't hard to hear the barely concealed plea. 

"No! It's not like that mom, I promise!" Artemis nearly shouted, needing to make that much clear to her mother. she wasn't going to waste her shot at not being dragged any further into villainy then she already was. Tim, Rose..They'd understand. They had to. "It's kinda the opposite, actually." She claimed, a calming smile tugging at her lips as she kneeled in front of her frantic mother. The bold statement, at least, was enough to calm her mom enough to let her talk, for now. "I've..Picked up vigilantism." She admitted for the second time that night, though this was a bit easier.

"Wanted to take control of my life. Be who I wanted to be, instead of who Jade or dad or you told me to be. I'm not giving into crime, and I'm not running from it. But I won't ignore it either. I..I can't." She took a deep breathe, looked up at her mom and whispered, "I've stopped some local robberies. a few assults. I saved Kid Flash's life tonight, mom." She listed, and couldn't help being a little proud of herself. couldn't help a releived smile when she saw that pride refected in her mom's waterry eyes.

"It's just as dangerous, Artemis. Are you..Are you sure you want this?" Her mom asks, and the archer's eyes sharpen into something determied as she nods.

"Yes. I'm very sure, mom. Promise." She states, and her mom gives a nod of her own, sad smile gracing her lips. 

"Then you have my blessing, Con gai." She sighed fondly, leaning down to kiss the top of Artemis's head.

"cảm ơn." Artemis grinned, closing her eyes and taking a moment to appreciate the moment.

Her mom was home. Her mom was home after six long years. Her mother was here, with her, and her dad was gone. Her mom loved her, and was here, and wouldn't hurt her, and worried, and stress knitted. In some ways, it was like she never left.

She had missed this.

Eventally, she forced a yawn and stretched away from her mom, feigning a tired sigh. if she stayed down here too long, her guests would get antsy, and they were already cross enough. The longer they were left unattended, the less likely it was that all of her things would be functioning and where she left them. "I'm gonna head up to bed." She yawned again, and her mom nodded. 

"goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight, mom."


	7. 'coming clean and getting ice-cream.'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey Crock, would you go grab us some spoons? I would, but I'm fairly sure your mother thought I was trying to kidnap you the last time she saw me, so I doubt she'd appreciate my presence."

Luckily, her room was not in total disrepair. upon further inspection, that was probably because Tim was nowhere to be seen. Rose was sitting on Artemis's bed, sharpening a katana. She had changed at some point, into Artemis's clothes, which she didn't seem to care were a little small on her. She was wearing a 'sarcasm, just another service I offer" Daffy Duck shirt and navy-blue basketball shorts.

"So. vigilantism?" Rose prompted, not bothering to look up as Artemis entered the room. Artemis nodded, going to her dresser and plucking out some pajamas, taking a second to try and put together her words. "yea, vigilantism." Was all she could really manage to say, in the end.

"were you planning on telling us?" Rose queried, finally looking up to meet her eyes. Artemis gave a cautious nod, which pulled the real question from her best friend; "When?"

"I'm...not sure. Probably today. It's really hard to keep a secret from you guys, and I don't really want to. Keep secrets, that is. The 19th, maybe, if I wasn't sure that this is what I want to do." She confessed, changing from her costume to her picked pajamas. Rose directed her attention back to her katana as she did. 

"And is it? What you want to do with your life?" The other teen asked, and Artemis took a deep breath.

"Yes. Yes, it really is." She claimed, an almost dreamy expression on her face as she fell onto her bed besides Rose. "I don't even know where to begin." She gushed, before pausing. "Shouldn't we wait for Tim? Where is he, anyway?" 

"Dunno. Tinkered with his new pet for a bit, then said he wanted to go get some treats and slipped out the window cause he got bored. Left George here, and I'd guess he's found a way to listen in through the damn thing." She claimed, waving to the Monqi sat still on her vanity table. After a moment, it's head jerked up and looked over at them, and it gave a stuttered wave, before seeming to go dead again. "See? Told ya." She chuckled, "So, go ahead. We're all ears."

"..Right. Anyway." She cleared her throat, gathering her thoughts. "It's just..It's amazing. I've spent so long hurting people and doing whatever my dad told me to. I Really don't want to anymore. I just..I can't go on like that. Ruining the lives of regular people who didn't even do anything to me. It's not what I want." She closed her eyes, unsure how her best friends would say to that, fully aware that if she saw any disapproval she'd just shut down. "It's not who I am. I want to make up for it all. This is..This is the best I can do for that. I have to do something, and this is the best I can do, so I want to do it. I want to be my own goddamn person, for once in my life. I've spent years waiting. Waiting for my mom to get out, waiting for Jade to come back, Waiting for it to get better, waiting for the guilt to lessen, waiting for control over my own damn life. I'm done waiting." She ranted, not pausing to take a breath until the end, wiping at her eyes because she felt them start to tear up.

The room was silent. She strained her ears, listening for any response from the room, and felt a small breeze. She startled and sat up, to see Tim sitting at the foot of Jade's bed with a paper bag. He stared at her, as if in some sort of trance. Something a little...nostalgic? Sad? Contemplative? Ressigned? A mix of the four? Shined through his expression, and he just stared at her with a frown she was sure she'd never seen before. It seemed oddly open, for the ever composed Drake/Luthor heir.

"Sounds like fun." Tim said in a tone she couldn't quite discern, snapping back into his passive aggression from earlier, though it seemed a bit harder for him to keep up. She was probably mostly forgiven, and he just needed to keep up appearances for his own sake.

"You aren't against it?" She asked, flitting her gaze to the silent Rose, then shrinking back from it a bit. ah, there it was. The anger burning in Rose's eyes because of her decision that contradict everything they stood for. 

"Huh?" Rose asked, taking a page from Tim's book as she was not angry, as Artemis had thought, but just lost in thought. The anger was still there, but it didn't seem directed at her, and that didn't make much sense. "Oh. Nah, you're fine Arty." She assured, but she gave a forced smile that said otherwise, and the anger still burned in her eyes.

"Are you sure? 'Cause you look pretty upset." Artemis pointed out, not keen on just sweeping it under the rug. not this time. This wasn't something that they could ignore and it'd go away. If this was going to break their bonds...well, best to just rip the bandaid off. Rose's smile dropped into a frown, and she was quiet for a while. 

Tim took the chance to open the bag he had brought with him, and revealed that the 'treat' the little asshole had gone to get was Baskin' Robbins ice-cream, in spite of (well, if she was being honest, given the vindictive nature of the boy, probably because of) Artemis being lactose-intolerant. He handed her a quart of plain vanilla icecream with the smuggest smirk she'd ever seen on his frolicsome face. He layed two quarts of Very-Berry-Strawberry on the bedside table by Rose, probably as an apology of sorts, and discarded the bag as he popped open his quart of Rocky-Road. They looked at Rose, waiting for her to speak, but she was still thinking about..something. Tim Shrugged.

"Hey Crock, would you go grab us some spoons? I would, but I'm fairly sure your mother thought I was trying to kidnap you the last time she saw me, so I doubt she'd appreciate my presence." Tim chirped, not a trace of apology in his tone for the encounter he referenced. She sighed and shook her head, walking over to her vanity and grabbing a few plastic utensils she had stored from the second drawer on the left. never know when they'll come in handy. she tossed one to Tim (and refused to smirk as he fumbled for it) and just put the other on top of Rose's stack of ice-cream.

"...I'm not angry at you." Rose finally spoke, and both of them turned their attention back to her as she sat more upright, fiddling with her eye-patch. "I'm more..Jealous? I don't want to be a hero, or a vigilante, or to make up for everything I've done. I'm more than a bit past that." She said bitterly, licking her lips but not biting them. "But, at some point I was there. I get it. It's awesome that you have this chance to get out, and I say take it. It just..kinda sucks that it feels too late for me." Rose finished, letting out a sigh and tearing open her ice cream.

"Maybe there's still a chance for you? If I can get out so can you." Artemis tried, but the words felt stale.

"I cut my damn eye out for him, Arty." Rose spat, voice startlingly shaky and hand falling from her eye-patch like it had burned her.

"Still. It could happen."

"Maybe." Rose shrugged with a certain finality that made it clear that the conversation ended there. Artemis could live with that. It was pretty awkward, and she didn't know what else to say.

One down, one to go. She took a breath and turned to Tim, tapping the lid of her closed ice cream. She was a bit surprised that she wasn't being met with any opposition from the boy, given that she just renounced his entire livelihood. She expected some sort of pushback. After an explanation, she could see Rose being fine with it. Maybe there was some way that Tim didn't mind either?

That seemed far fetched, though. Timothy Jackson Drake, evil-genius-in-training, luthor pet-project prodigy, son of Janet Drake, alleged assassin, would have something to say. Maybe.

"What about you? got a problem?" She asked, finding it a bit pathetic that she felt the need to put on a front for her little brother. She was being stupid. He'd accept her, right? 

"No?" Tim answered, polite confusion muddling his face. "Why would I be? I want you to be happy. you aren't." He deadpanned, playing it off far too casually. There was some tension hidden in the slight curl of his shoulders.

"My happiness comes at the cost of everything you stand for." She deadpanned, still upset with how petulant she sounded. Like a child. When she was talking to an actual child. 

"Well, everything I stand for isn't...Really all that great, according to most people." he shrugged, "It wouldn't be much fair to hold it against you." He hummed pleasantly enough, tracing metal plates on the George's head with one hand and eating Ice-cream with the other. Then, just as she opened her mouth to reply, something snapped in his manner, and the room suddenly felt much cooler and tenser.

Well Shit. She knew this couldn't be that easy


	8. *creepily and perfectly imitates Kyubey* Contract????

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whatever. Who knew? Timmy. And there was no way she's ask him. He wouldn't give her an answer, and she wasn't in the mood for the Mental Gymnastics that come with prying information from Drake. It was like pulling teeth; messy and unrewarding, oddy difficult, and blood usually gets spat in your face by the end.

It was a little creepy to watch, really. His far-away gaze snapped, suddenly. It turned scared and sad for no more then a split second, before it sharpened to a point and stared straight into her eyes. The treat was seemingly forgotten. The Monqi was laid out across Tim's lap, and he was stroking it like something out of a Bond film. His posture straightened, small and pointy shoulders somehow broadening, and his nose turned upward, reminiscent of an entitled brat. "Of course, conditions should apply. Lay out the rules." He stated, voice dropping dangerously low, but also weirdly captivating. As if everything he said was less of a suggestion or request, and more of a particularly kind phrasing of an order. Like a boss saying 'please get back to work'. 

Artemis felt the girl-merc tense beside her, apparently just as startled at the change in demenour as she was. He seemed...Colder, somehow. More technical. Speaking in a voice that demanded respect and with a glare that dared disrespect. It was suddenly very easy to forget how young Tim was. She felt like she was being sized up and studied by the small boy. Every inch the Drake-Luthor Heir.

He hadn't looked at her like this since they first met. It was..unnerving, to say the least. It hurt her feelings quite a bit if she was honest with herself. He was treating her as no more then a potential business partner, at best. Nothing more then another set of numbers. Statistics and resources for his brain to sort and deal with appropriately, then never spare another thought. It was upsetting.

"..Conditions?" She asked, embarrassingly meek. She wasn't really sure how else to respond to the authoritative voice, not when it came from her little brother. Especially not when she was doubting that he'd let her call him such anymore. She was a stupid, to think such a drastic change would go off swimmingly. 

"Conditions." He repeated, slow and patient, like he was talking to a ill-witted child. "A code of sorts, for us to follow. So our respective, occupations, fail to ever impact our bond." He elaborated. His voice still sounded composed and haunty and the slightest bit conceited, but she would swear it faltered, ever so slightly, at 'occupations', like he had braced himself for the rest of the sentance. 

Rose was glaring at the boy now, obviously offended on the archer's behalf. Offended enough to not be paying close enough attention to pick up on his minuscule tells. Fair, considering she was probably keeping herself from punching his perfect (baby) teeth out. But, that also meant Artemis didn't have a consultant to try to silently decode Timmy with, so that sucked. 

"Such as?" She asked after only what felt like a beat too long of silence, deciding to play along. There were only so many things this could be. It was important to him and he feared it would ruin in their relationship. She had just been suddenly demoted to a professional relationship. He had a secret or opinion he didn't want to share, so he threw them off with an unfamiliar tone. Some triggered emotional shut-down that she had accidentally triggered. He was still angry at her for almost missing The Third. Hell, could even be a test, paranoid little bastard, though he said he'd do his best to keep from doing so. Maybe a mix of them? Something else she overlooked?

Whatever. Who knew? Timmy. And there was no way she's ask him. He wouldn't give her an answer, and she wasn't in the mood for the Mental Gymnastics that come with prying information from Drake. It was like pulling teeth; messy and unrewarding, oddy difficult, and blood usually gets spat in your face by the end. 

(well, not literally of course. Tim had much better self-restraint and manners then that. but the thought stands.)

Tim cleared his throat. "First off, we aren't entitled to work secrets, just because of our bond. I don't have to give any information on Luthor, or Ra's, or any of the like and their plansand you don't have to tell me what drug bust you're beating up later or superheroes you've teamed up with over some stupid reasoning like 'friends tell each other everything' or 'I thought you trusted me'." Tim proposed in clipped, proffessional sentances. 

"What, so I can't talk about fighting crime with you guys?" Artemis half-joked, trying to draw Tim out.

"You would be allowed to, if you so wished. It just isn't a friendly obligation." A small twitch of his lips, "However, I shall do nothing to stop Rose if you get too annoying or imposing.", and Arty counted that as a feat. 

"that's fair." She conceded with a shrug. "We can keep secrets. Nice. I'm great at that. You're a Drake. Easy enough. Anything else?"

"We don't hold back, if we are put up to fight, especially around others. I have a reputation to uphold. My mother would skin you as an example, if she caught news I went soft on you." Tim continued in the same clipped and neutral tone, underlying warning and annoyance veiled thinly in his speech. Artemis tried not to gulp at the thought. She still hadn't met the infamous Janet Drake, and, if Tim had his way, she and Rose never would. "Well. Short of maiming or disabling each other, obviously. Unless absolutely necessary."

"I don't want to fight you." Artemis said, a bit affronted and aghast at the thought. Who would want to beat up their little brother? "I don't want to hurt you."

"You wouldn't be the first. Probably won't be the last." Tim shrugged, the movement looking uncomfortable as he seemed to fight his own tensed shoulders. "Besides, I will strive to avoid having to fight you. It's an unlikely scenerio, but still one that must be addressed. It isn't as if I hang out around Gotham much for buisness, and I'd assume you plan to stick to the Gotham Streets for your hobby. Gotham has a way of keeping hold of her own like that." Tim said, a little wistfully, like he was reciting something, making an in joke with himself.

"Well, You're Gotham, and you live in Metropolis. Seems to me that you dodged her grasp just fine." Artemis challenged

"You say that. Yet hear I am." Tim sighed, waving his arms out at Artemis's apartment, only blocks away from Park Row. Point Tim, she supposed. "One more thing." He continued, stirring the conversation back on topic, clearly not expecting a response (Fair, seeing she in fact didn't really have one) as he cleared his throat again and picked back up on this 'agreement' they were forming. As time went on and they went over his rules and the atmosphere relaxed a bit, she noticed him follow suit, if only the slightest bit. She'd Take It.

"Oh yeah? Please, go on short stack." She drawls, trying to mimic a high-gothamite accent. Tim almost smirked, but was trained well. His hands folded in his lap like a victorian lady posing for a portriot.

"You're still seeing us twice a month. No exceptions are to be made simply because of your newfound ocupation. If I can make it between Alexander-slash-Buisness tutoring-slash-apprentince supervilliany-slash-Mother, and Rose can make it between hits, you can as well." He insisted, and really, it was a little heartbreaking that his voice nearly quivered. This really was worrying him, and for all the wrong reasons.

The mini-genius wasn't being an ass, or trying to peacefully cut ties. He was just a kid. He was a kid, scared of scaring someone close to him off because of a difference in their life. A Kid that didn't mind what she wanted to do, as long as he and Rose could still be a part of her life. A Kid who, once that was endangered, went into damage control mode and shut down emotionally so he could pump out a comprimise they'd both be comfortable with, using beautiful brain of his. A Kid that didn't want to be alone, and was taught to hold on to everything you want and/or love with your teeth and never let go because It's Yours.

"Timmy, of course I will. What would I do without the pair of you?" She gushes, awkwardly trying to shove all of her affection into the sentance to prove her love to the child. He looked up at her critically, as if checking for deception (that stung a bit), before Puffing a sigh of releif masked as a yawn. Or maybe combined with a yawn. He didn't sleep enough.

Those words were, apparently, the key that freed him from whatever box he locked himself in. He wasn’t exactly relaxing yet, nothing seemed to have actually changed with him. But the room felt calmer, and she could actually breathe, so that was a win in her book.

Tim tilted his head ever so slightly, probably making sure he didn’t miss anything, before nodding to himself and extending a hand. 

“It’s a deal then.” He said, uncertainty lurking in the corners of the word.

“Pleasure doing buisness.” Artemis jeered in response, spitting in her hand before offering it for the handshake. Habits die hard. Tim didn’t mind, looking into her eyes for. Something. She wasn’t sure. Before backing up.

They both took semi-deep breathes, and calmed down after that seemingly-civil and efficiant inteaction. 

Rose, of course, took this as her cue to jump back into action.


	9. She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (At-The-Expense-Of-Your-Brother)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But that's not who they were. Rose was raised to recognize weakness, and to strike with it to establish control over a situation. Artemis was taught to lash out and get angry, something she has had to work very rapidly to fix after she met her little brother. Tim learned to fall back on facades and lies and calm and projecting control until no one could think to question it.

Rose growled without opening her mouth, massaging her temples besides Artemis with a scowl. "God, Drake. You can't just do that, either. It's creepy. It gives me the urge to have a chat with your mother." Rose grumbled, slowly opening her eyes as she calmed down. 

Tim, for his part, was relaxing into his more normal posture. His shoulders were hunched a little, conveying vulnerability he never would in Heir Mode (as the girls had duly dubbed it). His lips pulled up in an awkward smile, instead of the emotionless and bored mask, only slightly cracked with confidence and surety that he had wore. He scratched his nose as it was lowered and he met her eyes, blushing ever so slightly, drumming his fingers across the Monqi casually and picking up the slightly-melted ice-cream. 

At Roses words, however, he tensed in something Artemis could only call Dread, posture perfecting itself on habit at the mere mention of the woman and his eyes widening almost comically. Damn, going straight for Mother Dearest, low blow. She must really be upset.

"That really won't be neccasary, Rose. Um. What did I do?" Tim asked, bilking, and Artemis bit back a laugh. He looked like a kicked puppy.

"That thing you do. The thing where you get all technical and buisness-like." Rose clarified, waving her hand in a distincltly unhelpful manner. Tim's eyebrow creased. 

"Um. I don't mean to? Is that a thing I do?" He askes, and Artemis almost whistles in admiration, because she honestly can't tell if he's playing it off or genuinely confused. 

"Yes, it's a thing you do. You'll know next time it happens, because it will be followed by a punch to the nose." Rose nearly growled, and maybe Artemis should calm this down a little.

"Hey. That's a bit aggressive." She lightly reprimanded, managing to keep a straight face. Rose, for her part, looked like she'd been slapped. well, looked like a normal person would if they were slapped. Shocked and vaguely offended. Tim's lips quirked at the intervention, but he still seemed entirely too stiff for her liking. "No one is calling Mrs. Drake." Artemis stated firmly, running her fingers through her hair and looking pointedly at Rose.

"oh thank god." Tim sighed in complete relief, melting into himself again. Rose glared another few moments, before biting her lip and looking away with a passably-agreeable grunt. Artemis turned back to Timothy, displeasure clear. He tensed up again, but only slightly, and more in shame then fear, so the archer counted it as a win.

"And yes, that is a thing you do. Whatever your intentions, without any context, comes off as hostile, and as if you think and deal with us like you would most other people. It's demeaning and insulting and hurtful. Like you don't trust us." Artemis explained as plainly as she could, unable to keep the bite entirely from her voice. Damn it. Timmy dearest was emotionally stunted in ways even herself and Rose couldn't really get. They should be more understanding and kind. He's just a kid after all. And he's trying.

But that's not who they were. Rose was raised to recognize weakness, and to strike with it to establish control over a situation. Artemis was taught to lash out and get angry, something she has had to work very rapidly to fix after she met her little brother. Tim learned to fall back on facades and lies and calm and projecting control until no one could think to question it. 

It really wasn't a good mix. Sometimes they felt like a grenade waiting to go off, thrown together like this. 

They really, really wouldn't have it any other way though.

Tim stared at her with a face that could look impassive, but on Tim was clearly his Processing Face. That was good. He was coming to terms with his actions, probably replaying the conversation and pinpointing all the differences he displayed. The only way to tell that he was still at least somewhat mentally present was the circular movement of his thumb over his other fingers, a gesture done to keep himself grounded.

Rose and Artemis exchanged a series of looks, while they waited for their dear little Timmy to collect himself. Artemis smiled. Rose sneered and looked pointedly from Tim to Artemis. The archer rolled her eyes and waved a hand dismissively. The mercenary's nostrils flared in annoyance. the blonde's eyes narrowed in disapproval of the grudge. They maintained eye contact until Rose softened, calming down, finally convincing herself that Tim wasn't and wouldn't be a threat to them. Stupid super-solider-serum-bullshit. 

Tim let out a sharp breathe that always accompanied him when he crashed fully back into himself, swallowing hard and blinking a few times. He seemed a weird but familiar mix of determined and guilty, an expression that came out when he had made a conviction to change something that he apparently did wrong. 

"ok." Tim started, a bit weakly, shaking his head. "Okay. I'm sorry guys, I'll try to fix that." He recited as he had before, and they gave proud grins, Rose reaching out to noggie him. Tim flinched at first, half expecting a blow after the girl's earlier demeanoir, but uncoiled at the familiar action.

The three of them exchanged small smile-smirk-grins. They would be okay.


	10. tooth rotting fluff. for once. with no ulterior motive. inconceivable.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was good. More then good, really. It was great. It was all any of them had ever really dreamed of. Comrades. Traumatized children with a lack of and craving for human connection. (mostly) Platonic Soulmates. Star crossed, in the sense that one of them will get one of the others killed eventually. Couple of misfits. Barrel of monkeys. Kids that are the same kind of crazy. Whatever else you wanted to label them.

This was good. More then good, really. It was great. It was all any of them had ever really dreamed of. Comrades. Traumitized children with a lack of and craving for human connection. (mostly) Platonic Soulmates. Star crossed, in the sense that one of them will get one of the others killed eventually. Couple of misfits. Barrel of monkeys. Kids that are the same kind of crazy. Whatever else you wanted to label them.

Family. It was fate making up for Jade leaving and Mom being locked away. For Tim's parents barely qualifying as that, if you asked her. For Death stroke being an asshole with no business having kids. For everything fucked up in their lives. Who gave a shit? They had each other.

Without speaking to each other, they moved. Tim went back to his icecream, getting comfy at the foot of her bed like a damn cat. Rose turned to sit against the wall, playfully nudging tim with her toes while the TV remote appeared in her hand and she picked something to watch. Artemis retreived a basket of treats she had squirreled away and placed it next t her alarm on the dresser, cuddling up against Rose as the elder landed on Kim Possible reruns. Tim edged himself slowly up the bed and towards them, and Artemis counted down the seconds in her head until Rose got fed up with the boy and just scooped him up and closer to the girls. Given Rose's twitchy fingers, Artemis gave it a generous five minutes or so.

At some point, probably when Kim Possible switched to Phil of The Future, Tim would start whispering excited questions about her vigilantism with that childish glee that he's always saved for heroes (when he isn't fighting or undermining them), and she'd pretend to ignore him toying with his collar as if he expected to find a strap while she went into as much detail as she could about the, like, 5 crimes she's stopped, capped with a dramatic retelling of saving Kid Flash's life that the boy would nod along to and stare in awe at as if he weren't there. Rose would probably snort and roll her eyes and scoff and comment on how easy and unimpressive it sounds (ignoring whatever rebuff's Tim awards because she's 'interrupting the story, gosh Rosie, Learn some manners, and you wanted to talk to My Mother'), but it'd all be in good fun, and Rose would be smiling adoringly in that way she always saved for them and only them, so it's fine really. Tim would eat Artemis's ice-cream because he basically bought it for himself anyway, along with whatever was left of Rose's when it started to melt and she didn't want it anymore because 'melted ice-cream has a weird consistency'. 

Then they'd make Tim fall asleep, hopefully without tranquilizers. Artemis would fall asleep after, trailing off as she passed out in the middle of a sleepy conversation about something stupid with Rose, while the mercenary played with her hair and stayed stubbornly awake, unwilling to let her guard down. Rose would fall asleep around the time Tim woke up (which is to say, an hour or so before the sun comes up on a good day). Tim would pull an electronic or some assigned reading out of somewhere, and occupy himself with it silently for a while. Maybe clean up Artemis's room. Maybe sweep for (or plant some) bugs, just in case. They'd all be awake by Seven whether they wanted to be or not, Tim screwing with cameras so they can sneak out, Rose complaining about having to wake up, Artemis getting them some food before they left. 

They wouldn't bring up or run into her mother, because that was something for another day, and they were trying to get better with limits. First run in with her mom, watching her fight MONQI's, getting a pet, and learning she was a vigilante was more then enough for one night, Artemis thought, and was sure the other two would silently agree while they stubbornly ignored it. 

That's just the way these things went. They wouldn't have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, guess it's just a fluffy day today, huh. Anyway, thats the end of this part! you can find me on Tumblr at The-lost-ravens-writing-desk ! have a lovely day!


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